Automatic discovery of wireless communication settings

• US 8,670,727 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2007
• Issued: 03/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TomTom Navigation B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Neef, Edwin, Geelen, Pieter
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisner, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US11/713,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20070259674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,566 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340988-996, 455/88, 455/352, 455/56.1, 455/556.2, 455/557, 455/566, 455/569.1, 455/569.2, 455418-420, 455/404.2, 4554561-457, 701/213, 370254-258, 370/406, 709208-211, 709217-219, 709227-237, 726/12, 726 26- 30
• US Class Current: 455/88
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/102 using electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests

Abstract

A method of discovering connection specific settings from a mobile unit for a telecommunications connection at a navigation device is disclosed herein. In one example embodiment, the method may include establishing a wireless connection between the mobile unit and the navigation device to retrieve preliminary information from the mobile device, querying of a plurality of entries in a database within the navigation device based on the preliminary information, attempting to establish the telecommunications connection using the queried entries, and storing the entry resulting in a successful establishment of the telecommunications connection as the connection specific settings for the mobile unit.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a wireless connection between a wireless telephone and a portable navigation device including a touchscreen, the method comprising:

performing a search at the portable navigation device for local wireless telephones using a wireless link and retrieving preliminary information from the wireless telephones over said wireless link;

as a result of the search, depicting a graphical user interface (GUI) with a graphical list of available local wireless telephones;

prompting a user of the portable navigation device to select at least one preferred wireless telephone from the graphical list of available local wireless telephones;

querying a plurality of entries in a database within the navigation device based on the preliminary information, the plurality of entries including configuration information specific to one or more detected wireless telephones;

upon the user selecting a preferred wireless telephone from the graphical list of available local wireless telephones, establishing the wireless connection to the selected wireless telephone by an automatic procedure using at least one entry of the plurality of entries that results from a successful query;

upon successfully establishing the wireless connection to the selected wireless telephone, storing in the navigation device at least one entry including preliminary information or configuration information specific to the selected wireless telephone;

searching, by the portable navigation device, the selected wireless telephone with an established connection to identify one or more wireless telecommunications features supported by the selected wireless telephone;

listing on the portable navigation device, the identified one or more supported wireless telecommunications features to a user;

receiving a touch selection on the touchscreen of the navigation device from the user to select at least one telecommunications feature from the one or more wireless telecommunications features for use on the navigation device;

storing on the navigation device at least an indication of the selected features;

indicating, on the portable navigation device, the selected telecommunications features being stored in the navigation device; and

providing, by the portable navigation device, a graphical user interface for the selected telecommunications features such that the user can initiate or terminate the selected telecommunications features of the selected wireless telephone using the touchscreen on which the graphical user interface is displayed.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising indicating, on the navigation device, successful establishment of the wireless connection.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless connection is a BLUETOOTH connection.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the preliminary information includes at least one of a model number, service provider, brand, type, telephone number, Access Point Network (APN) access code, APN access prefix, GPRS access code, and GPRS access prefix.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless connection is an internet connection.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the internet connection is established through a service provider associated with the wireless telephone.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising prompting a user of the navigation device to enter at least a portion of the preliminary information if the preliminary information is not retrieved or partially retrieved, wherein the querying is based on the portion of the preliminary information entered.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more features include at least one of hands-free access, phone-book access, short messaging services (SMS) access, email, and telephone number dialing access.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein SMS access includes displaying a graphical representation of messages received on the wireless telephone on the navigation device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the phone-book access includes displaying a graphical representation of a phone-book stored on the wireless telephone on the navigation device.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein telephone number dialing access includes allowing the navigation device to dial telephone numbers and establish a wireless call using the wireless telephone.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein hands-free access includes at least one of receiving, placing, and ending wireless telephone calls using the navigation device.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium including program segments for, when executed on a processor of a navigation device, causing the navigation device to implement the method of claim 1.

14. A navigation device, comprising:

a processor configured to perform the method of claim 1.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein hands-free access is facilitated by the portable navigation device by using a microphone and an audible output device provided as part of the portable navigation device.